1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a method for modeling an information transmission network having a hierarchical structure, and an apparatus thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for modeling a hierarchical and standardized information transmission network, such as a military tactical communication network, SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition), etc.
2. Description of Related Art
A hierarchical and standardized information transmission network, such as a military tactical communication network or a SCADA system, is a communication network (e.g., industrial control system network) that is used with the aim of achieving supervisory control and data acquisition. In a typical communication environment, a full-mesh topology, in which there is a direct link between all pairs of nodes, is employed. In contrast, a hierarchical and standardized information transmission network has nodes arranged in a hierarchy where separate groups exist at each level. Even at the same level, nodes that belong to different groups are restricted from direct communication therebetween, but are allowed to communicate with each other via group(s) at higher levels.
In addition, information transmission in a hierarchical and standardized information transmission network is not conducted between all pairs of nodes, but only between particular pairs of nodes, groups and or levels to which defined logical relationships are assigned. That is, even though nodes are in end-to-end connection, communication between all pairs of nodes may be restricted according to structural or strategic properties.
Hierarchical and standardized information transmission networks are used in application environments of various fields. For example, they are used for special purposes in application environments in which definite relationships between nodes are given, like SCADA systems, military communication networks, and enterprise networks. Generally, such a standardized information transmission network has a hierarchical structure in which information transmission occurs from upper nodes to lower nodes or vice versa.
In such a hierarchical network environment, nodes are classified into groups or systems based on common properties, such as position, purpose, operating system, etc., and information transmission relationships between nodes are mapped into hierarchical structures Such a group or system is a cluster of functions that can be divided into control, report, propagation, sharing. order, management, request, and response functions. These functions have respective properties. The functions of control, order and management are used to transmit traffic from upper-level systems lower-level systems. Conversely, the functions of request and report are used to transmit traffic from lower-level systems to upper-level systems. In addition, the functions of propagation, sharing, etc. enable transmission irrespective of hierarchical level, that is, upper- and lower-level systems. This traffic system plays an important role in modeling traffic in a hierarchical network.
Conventional network modeling and simulation methods take as an end-to-end modeling approach a full-mesh topology in which information can be directly transmitted between all pairs of nodes. However, the conventional network modeling and simulation methods do not take into consideration the traffic and structure of the above-mentioned hierarchical and standardized information transmission network.
There are typical modeling and simulation methods employing standardized information transmission systems. The typical methods apply information transmission between nodes to modeling and simulation systems. In the typical methods, the environment for the modeling and simulation system must be completely reestablished when the network changes in size, when information transmission relationships change together with operation mode and strategy, or when a node is added. That is, because conventional methods are void of the information transmission system modeling that accounts for general situations, and exhibit subordinate relationships in which an information transmission system is applied to the modeling and simulation system itself, even a trivial change in information transmission configuration requires system redesign and verification, consuming increased simulation time and wasting resources. In addition, based on a fixed topology in which account is taken of positions among nodes, groups or systems in which information transmission and hierarchical structures are physically arranged, the typical modeling and simulation methods have difficulty in accounting for the variety of hierarchical topology structures having logical construction relationships.